Consider the scenarios below as you add alternative text to an image in your course.
What are alternative descriptions?
Alternative text (alt text), referred to as alternative descriptions in Ally, are brief descriptions added to images to convey their content and function. Adding alt text is crucial for accessibility, as it allows screen readers to describe images, ensuring all students receive the same information. Additional information about how to add alternative text is available in the article, Including alternative text for image accessibility.
Scenario: You have copied your course containing the added Alternative Descriptions to a new course.
Using the export and import functionality (including Canvas Commons) to copy courses may not always have the desired results. When exporting and importing a course, alternative descriptions added through Ally will only be available in your new course in scenarios where Canvas was able to store the description, such as a description added through the content page. Alternative descriptions added through the Canvas Files Tool will not appear in the new course, and you will see Red indicator “dials.”
Scenario: You provide an alternative description for an image through Ally in a Canvas rich content editor page.
The description is now present on the item stored in the rich content editor, and you will see a Green indicator “dial”. The description added through Ally will get pushed back into the Canvas content directly so that it can be stored by Canvas and made available to your students.
Figure 1: View of the Ally score indicator on a Canvas Page for an image.
Scenario: You provide an alternative description for an image through Ally in the Canvas Files page.
Ally has captured your alternative description, and you will see a Green indicator “dial”. Ally will store the description so that your students can access it when they encounter the image in your course. However, when a description is added from the Files tool, it will not be stored by Canvas.
Figure 2: View of the Ally score indicator from the Canvas files page.
Scenario: You provide an alternative description for an image through the Ally Course Accessibility Report.
Ally has captured your alternative description, and you will see a Green indicator “dial”. Ally will store the description so that your students can access it when they encounter the image in your course. However, when a description is added from the Course Accessibility Report, it will not be stored by Canvas.
Figure 3: Ally Accessibility Report view of a file missing an alternative description.
Scenario: You provide an alternative description for an image through Ally, but the built-in Canvas checker says it is still missing.
You will see a Green indicator “dial”, but the built-in Canvas checker may say that your image is still missing a description. Don’t worry, Ally has stored the alternative description for that image so your students can still access it. Because the Canvas Files tool and Course Accessibility Report do not allow Ally to push your description back into the content directly, the built-in Canvas checker will be unaware of the description added through Ally.
Scenario: You provide an alternative description for an image directly within the Canvas rich content area through the “Image Options.”
The alternative description added directly to your image through the Canvas rich content editor is stored in Canvas and made available to your students. Ally will recognize the presence of the description, and you should see a Green indicator “dial”.
Figure 4: Canvas accessibility checker available in the rich content editor.
Need more help with Ally? Contact the Academic Technology team for assistance.